Beyond the usual horror scenarios, Jörg Roesler sheds light on the history of the smaller German state. This is primarily told as the history of the rule of the SED. At the center are two groups characterized by the author as Conservatives and Reformers. This is simultaneously the story of securing the stability of a state that has repeatedly faced economic and political threats to its existence. Secondly, the history of the GDR is recounted as the history of Soviet-East German relations. It is the story of Moscow's "unloved child," a minimal solution that arose from the failure of Soviet policy towards Germany, ultimately becoming a burdensome outpost. Thirdly, the history of the GDR is told as the history of relations with the Federal Republic. It concludes with the smaller being absorbed by the larger.